Summary Background Health literacy (HL) – the ability to seek, understand and utilize health information – is important for good health. Suboptimal HL has been associated with poorer health outcomes in other chronic conditions, although this has not previously been studied in patients with psoriasis. Objectives To investigate the HL strengths and weaknesses of a cohort of patients with moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis. Another aim was to examine possible associations between patients’ quality of life, their demographic, clinical and self‐management characteristics, and dimensions of HL. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted. Data were collected from a cohort of patients with psoriasis who had received climate helio therapy from 2011 to 2016 (n = 825). HL was assessed by the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). The association between HL domains, demographic, clinical and self‐management variables were analysed using bivariate correlation and a four‐step linear multiple regression model. Results The scores on all HLQ dimensions indicated lower health literacy than other populations. The linear regression models showed a significant association between HL, quality of life and self‐management variables, with higher HL predicting higher quality of life, self‐efficacy and psoriasis knowledge. Sex, educational attainment, age and disease severity had less influence on health literacy. Conclusions Improving HL may be a useful strategy for reducing disparities in self‐management skills for patients with psoriasis. Interventions that aim to reduce disease severity and increase psoriasis knowledge, self‐efficacy and quality of life may positively increase HL.

Objective: To study the long-term effects on symptoms and physical function of a 4-week rehabilitation programme for patients with fibromyalgia, and to determine whether there are any differences if this programme is applied in a warm or cold climate. Methods: A total of 132 patients with fibromyalgia were randomized to a rehabilitation programme in a warm or cold climate, or to a control group without intervention. Assessments were performed before and after intervention, and after 3 and 12 months. The main outcome measures were pain, measured by tender point count (TPC), and physical function, measured with the 6-min walk test (6MWT). Results: There was no difference in any outcome variables at baseline. Persistent reduction in pain measured by TPC occurred only in the warm climatic setting. Mean difference (95% confidence interval (CI)) in TPC between warm and cold climate groups 1 year after the intervention was -1.7 (-2.9 to -0.5) and between the warm climate and the control group -2.2 (-3.3 to -1.0). Three months after the intervention the mean difference between the warm and cold climate groups in pain distribution (McGill mannequin) was -12 (-20 to -5) and between the warm climate and the control group -11 (-18 to -3). There were comparable improvements in physical function (6MWT) between the 2 intervention groups and the control group. The mean difference (95% CI) in 6MWT 1 year after the intervention between the warm climate and the control group was 33 (7-59) m. The corresponding value between the cold climate and the control group was 29 (3-55) m. Grip Strength (95% CI) was increased by 4.6 kg (2.3-6.4) in the warm climate and by 3.2 kg (0.9-5.5) in the cold climate compared with the control group 1 year after the intervention. Conclusion: A rehabilitation programme for fibromyalgia may have a long-term effect on pain, as measured by TPC and pain distribution, when applied in a warm climatic setting, and may improve physical function regardless of the climatic setting.

No abstract

No abstract

Yndis Staalesen Strumse er medisinsk rådgiver/MD ph.d. ved Seksjon for behandlingsreiser, Oslo universitetssykehus, Rikshospitalet. Forfa eren har ikke oppgi noen interessekonflikter.